Combination halter



(No Model.)

P. J. KRATER. COMBINATION HALTER, YOKE, AND BRIDLE.

No. 417,870. Patented Dec. Z4, 1889.

l/VVE/VTUR.

ATTORNEYS.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PETER J. KRATER, OF ST. MARYS, MISSOURI.

COMBINATION HALTER, YOKE, AND BRIDLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 417,870, dated December 24, 1889.

Application filed September 5, 1889- Serial No. 323,028. (No model.)

To all whom it 11mg concern.-

Be it known that 1, PETER J. KRATER, of St. Marys, in the county of Ste. Genevieve and State of Missouri, have invented a new and Improved Combination Halter, Yoke, and Bridle, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to a halter and at tachments enabling one structure to be used as a substantial halter or as a guard to prevent an animal jumping or breaking a fence or injuring himself thereat, While allowing him to feed and water himself freely from or at the ground.

The invention is also adapted for service either as an open riding-bridle or as a blind driving-bridle, and the structure as a whole is simple, inexpensive, and readily adjustable for its several purposes.

The invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts of the combined halter, yoke, and bridle, all as hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both the figures.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improvement with the yoke-guard attached, and Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the improvement adjusted as a driving-bridle.

The main strap A, which passes as acrownstrap over the anim'als head, extends down at each side to form cheek-straps a a, to the outer faces of which are fixed wood or metal blocks B B, which, while re-enforcing the halter cheek-straps, also afford a firm support for metal plates 0 G, which support either the yoke-guard-o1"a bit, as hereinafter explained. The rivets c c, by which these plates are fastened to the blocks 13 B, also secure to the inner faces of the cheek-straps the nose strap or band D, which is provided with the usual buckle-fastening (Z. Thenosestrap may, however, be connected to the cheek-straps in any other approved manner.

The throat-latch E is fastened to the cheekstraps a a by rivets or otherwise, and over it is looped the upper end of a king-strap F, which at its lower end carries a ring G, through which the rearpart of the nose-strapD passes.

This ring serves to attach the halter hitchingstrap.

The opposite plates 0 C are provided at their lower ends with holes cc, adapting them for connection of either the yoke-guard H or the bridle-bit I. The yoke H is made with a metal frame providing side parts h h, which near their upper ends have holes to receive bolts J, which also pass through the holes 0 c of the plates 0 C, to pivot the yoke to the plates, and consequently to the entire halter device.

The yoke may swing freely forward at its lower end, which carries the curved yoke-bar h, but it cannot swing backward farther than to the position shown in Fig. 1 of the drawin gs, as the front faces of the upper ends of the yoke side bars then strike the rear faces I) of the cheek-strap blocks B, which thus form substantial fore-stays to successfully resist backward movement of the yoke. The yokebar It is fitted in the lower cross-bar of the yoke-frame, and in an auxiliary cross-bar 7L fixed to the frame.

WVhen the yoke is applied to the halter, as above described, it is obvious that an animal wearing the halter may freely lower his mouth to the ground, while the yoke will swing freely forwardas its poke-bar slides along the ground; hence the yoke offers no obstruction to the free grazing or watering of the animal; but should he try to jump over a fence or push his head through or over it the yoke will strike the fence and check him; hence an animal may while wearing this combined halter and yoke freely take food and water, but will be prevented from jumping or poking his head over, into, or through barbedwire or other fences, and will be guarded from injury thereby. The yoke poke-bar will also prevent the animal lifting off the bars of rail fences to allow himself or other animals to walk over into the next field or into the road, and thus will prevent breaking or injury of fences.

When the yoke H is detached from the halter-plates C C, it requires but a few moments to connect the riding or driving bit I to the plates by engaging hook or eye links i 1', attached to the bit-rings t" z", with the holes 0 c of the plates, as will be understood. from Ioo Fig. 2 of the drawings. In this case the kingstrap F may be applied to the nose-band and throat-latch, as indicated in dotted lines, to form a complete bridle and halter; or the king-strap may be omitted, as may be preferred.

WVhen the combination-halter is to be used as a riding-bridle, the brow strap or band J will be applied by its looped ends to the main strap or band A, and this brow-strap may be applied when the halter is to be used with or without the yoke-guard and king-strap.

To use the structure as a driving-bridle, I provide blinds K K, which have inner hooks 7c 70, which are readily caught into eyes or staples Z Z, which are fixed to the cheek-straps a a or yoke stay blocks B B, and upper front straps L L, connected to the blinds, are

converged to or into a forehead-strap, which is caught into a buckle M, secured to the crown-piece of the main strap or band of the halter, and as will also be undertstood from Fig. 2 of the drawings. The straps L L may, if preferred, be connected separately to the crown-piece buckle. In either case the straps prevent excessive lateral flapping movements of the blinds.

From the aforesaid description it is manifest that in my invention I combine with a substantial halter a yoke guarding the animal against jumping over or injury to or by fences, and either an open riding-bridle or a blinded driving-bridle, and that the several parts may be quickly and easily adjusted to serve their intended purposes by any person of ordinary intelligence, and the whole struoture may be made cheaply to be within the reach of all raising or using horses or other animals to which the halter device is applicable.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. In a halter, yoke, and bridle, the combination, with the halter cheek-straps, of re-enforcing pieces B B, fixed thereto, and apertured plates 0 C, fixed to said pieces and allowing connection of the yoke or bridle-bit, substantially as herein set forth.

2. The combination, with a halter provided with side plates 0 O, of a yoke-guard hinged to said plates, and stops at the plates limiting rearward movement of the yoke, substantially as herein set forth.

The combination,with a halter provided with side pieces B B and plates 0 O, of a yoke-guard hinged to the plates and extend ing above its pivots to limit its rearward movement, substantially as herein set forth.

4. The combination, with the halter cheekstraps and re-enforcing pieces thereon provided with eyes or staples, of detachable bridle-blinds connected to said eyes or staples, and stay-straps connecting the outer ends of the blinds with the halter crown-strap and detachable from the latter, substantially as herein set forth.

5. The combination, with a halter provided with eyes or staples Z at its cheek-straps, and a buckle M at its crown-strap, of detachable blinds K, having hooks 70, adapted to the eyes Z, and straps L, connecting the blinds and buckle M, substantially as herein set forth.

P. J. KRATER.

Witnesses:

EDWARD SCHAAF, E. S. LAWBAUGH. 

